the consequence of killing a king

Today was a busy day.

One tour guide.  One tuk tuk.  Four temples.  The story of one legendary king.

The four temples were Ta Prohm (ancestor Brahma), Banteay Srei (citadel of women), Banteay Samrei (citadel of the farmer), and Pre Rup (turning body). 

Legend has it that there once was a king who befriended a farmer whose produce was fresh and delicious.  One night, the king went out alone to the farmer's garden; mistaking in the dark the king for a thief, the farmer killed the king.  Upon discovering his grave error, the farmer moved the king's body elsewhere and retreated to his home. 

The next morning, the body was found by palace guards, and since the king had no heir, the magistrates of the kingdom set out to find the next king.  They brought out the holy white elephant and asked it to find their new ruler.  Slowly the elephant moved its heavy and steady steps toward the farmer's garden.  Upon reaching it, the giant beast knelt down before the former and lifted him with its trunk to gently settle him on its back.  Thus went the story of the farmer who was the king's friend but accidentally murdered him and later became king.

well, what have we here?

it says:  "i was here"

butt that's what it looks like!

don't know this woman, but her korean group monopolized this site for ages

do you see the beautiful face of the apsara dancer?

will the next king buddha please stand up

From Angkor Wat we move to Angkor Thom, meaning great city.

Legend has it that Angkor Thom was built by king Jayavarman VII, known as the king buddha for exercising compassion in his ruling.  He was a devout Buddhist and, unlike his predecessors, permitted the practice of both Buddhism and Hinduism.  Hence, the images at Angkor Thom represent both religions. 



The most impressive images at this complex are the giant faces of Buddha facing all directions.  Their smiling faces triggered a sense of peace and kindness, which I truly hope were feelings shared by all who visit.

After lamenting previously the dearth in history of compassionate and open-minded rulers, it was a great relief to hear about Jayavarman VII.

Where in the world is another king buddha?

queue of tuk tuks waiting to enter

angkor wat

Angkor Wat.

With over one thousand temples ranging from anonymous piles of stones to magnificent complexes and covering 1,000 square kilometers of area, it is no wonder that Angkor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name Angkor Wat, meaning monastery city, precedes all the other temple complexes in fame, as it is the largest and most frequently visited.  These temples were built by various kings, who anointed themselves "god-kings," from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries as dedication to themselves and a holy place for transition into the afterlife.  I guess the lesson here is that no matter if you're Egyptian or Khmer, you crave everlasting fame and respect and fear unknowable death so such a degree that you must have awe-inspiring buildings constructed in your honor and protection.

One of the more interesting piece of history that I learned from our guide is that throughout the four centuries of temple construction, the religion changed back and forth between Buddhism and Hinduism.  Therefore, when a king took power and held a belief different than that of the previous, he would command the destruction of previous images and statues and replacement with those of his own.  Thus, some temples were repeatedly destroyed to become Hindu then Buddhist and then Hindu again.  The surprising element is that I've always thought of Buddhism as the benevolent religion and that its follower would not endorse any act of violence or destruction, something which is more reflective of Christian followers, at least in the American media, who come across as narrow-minded people who do not respect anyone who differs from themselves.  I repeat - I am referring to the Christians generally seen in the American media, not all Christians in general.

Perhaps most people are inherently narrow-minded and egotistical:  they believe what they want to believe and want everyone else to do the same, what is it that they actually believe in is irrelevant.  I don't know if this is true. 

What I do know is that all religions have resulted in stunning creations of art - paintings, buildings, music, and writings - so much so that Angkor Wat was jam-packed with tourists from all over the world.  To provide services to these tourists and an additional method of income to Cambodians, temple tour guides are increasing in number, rising to approximately 2,000 as the time of my journey.  These are officially trained people with knowledge of Angkor who have studied a foreign language.  And just as all things, the laws of supply and demand are in order.  The two languages most in demand are Russian and Korean; hence these tour guides command a greater fee.

As I walked through Angkor Wat and bumped into tourists (I do mean physically bumped) from all over the world, mostly China, Japan, and Korea, I realized that a quiet moment to reflect on the significance of being in this holy and artistically inspiring location was hard, if not impossible, to come by.  Don't let my images fool you; the number of people was up in the thousands:  long waits of up to several minutes and some strategic cropping on Photoshop were necessary to capture these fictitiously solitary shots.

The religion at Angkor Wat is Hindu, its legacy splendid, and my respect undying.

robes of buddhist monks

"you got that surgery after all?"

don't wear a scarf in angkor wat

peace to all

Let's see, where was I?

That's right, I was leaving the cloudy skies of Hanoi to be welcomed into the sunny embrace of Siem Reap.  As the plane descended yesterday, it broke through heavy patches of clouds to reveal a gray and warm Siem Reap.

If you have not been to Angkor Wat, you must know that the Siem Reap Airport is absolutely unique.  There are no walkways that take you from the gate to the plane.  Instead, you walk down from the plane into humid air to be astounded by buildings that resemble beautifully erected temples.  I secretly wondered if a short prayer was required before entering, so I prayed that my luggage wasn't lost and would appear before me in short time.  It worked.

On our way into town, it was evident, as I already knew, that Cambodia is not a wealthy country.  Without tourism, I don't know what state it would be in.  But I'll come back to that a bit later.  After passing through houses that don't appear to be sanitary enough for human habitation, we arrived at our hotel, Hotel de la Paix (Hotel of Peace).  This was a stark contrast to my previous 20 minutes of Siem Reap experience.  I was not allowed to take my own luggage in; the bellboy did so.  I was given a fresh, warm towel as soon as the door opened for me and escorted be a beautiful lobby to enjoy  artistic creations while sipping on a delicious fruit juice.  Check-in was done for me, a personal greeter walked with me:  all I had to do was breathe.  I am not used to this kind of five-star service and definitely never will be, at least I hope not, even when I become rich and powerful.  I want to open my own doors, carry my own luggage, and have my napkin stay unfolded when I get up from the dining table.  Maybe when I'm 80 years old I will change my mind.

There was definitely a sense of guilt in enjoying what lay before while the people of Cambodia lived in such poor conditions outside of this sanctuary of Peace, but if my staying here meant more income for them to provide for their families, then maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.

how many geckos do you see?

I didn't what other industries existed in the city other than tourism.  The answer quickly came as we strolled to dinner:  nothing.  The streets were packed with people - all tourists, with local people in restaurants, massage parlors, and tuk tuks doing their best, in any language you can thing of, but mostly English and Chinese, to lure them in.  The strangest thing was these massaging fish:  you put your feet in a tank of water, and schools of fish quickly arrive to gently (I assume) nibble on them.  It probably was legitimate, since I heard no screams and saw no blood.

There were more restaurants than one could possibly imagine on just a few busy blocks.  I believe I could have dinner at a different restaurant every night for at least a year before I repeated.  After a long selection process (my brother and I are both Libras and true to their indecisive form), we chose a restaurant featuring local Khmer cuisine.  I was joyously surprised - not just because each entree cost $3 USD, but also that every dish was flavorful, particular a Khmer specialty called Amok, which is a meat cooked with several spices mixed with coconut milk in banana leaves.  Our total for four entrees (yes, we were hungry), a large bottle of water, and a draft beer came to $14.25.

Now that's my kind of place.

cám ơn (thank you)

This is my last evening in Vietnam.

woman shucking oysters in market

In case you're wondering, it is still misty and raining.  I don't think I've seen the sun in over ten days.  Never thought I'd miss it, since I enjoy the San Francisco fog.  But onward to Siem Reap tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll get more sun than I care for.

Returning to Hanoi today, we were welcomed with opened stores!  It is the sixth day of the New Year, and even though the festivities are far from over, many people have returned to work, which means worse traffic and pollution.  We were spoiled by the fresh sea air the last couple of days, and returning to a city with countless motorcycles and cars reminded me both the pros and cons of the fabulous and exciting city life.

I took the opportunity to check out some art galleries this afternoon, and I was lucky to find one featuring a great local photographer named Do Anh Tuan.  A chat with the sales receptionist revealed that Mr. Do has been photographing professionally for over 30 years, and he still does so with film, printing each work by hand.  Looking at his photographs was a lesson in Vietnamese history, to see its culture and traditions.  I couldn't help but think that people from any culture at any time have the same desires and goals, and the more developed the country, the more expensive these same goals - food, shelter, progeny.  For some, power and money are particularly important, although I don't understand the reason to make the ridiculous sums of money that some people strive.  It really is true that the more one has, the more one wants.  These photographs reminded the basic needs of human beings, and I hope to portray them always in my creative work.

I will visit tomorrow an even poorer country whose rich culture and magnificent ruins are being ruined by tourists such as myself.

When I leave Angkor Wat after four days, I hope to take away a new appreciation for life and art without leaving behind any trace of myself.

Hoan Kiem Lake

who needs a drive-thru when you can drive-by

chicken, anyone?

vietnamese french dinner at green tangerine

a dragon tale

Once upon a time, there was a dragon.

While out playing with his dragon friends way up in the clouds, he happened to look down and became enamored with the beauty of the misty waters he saw below.  Like a gay man who spotted better eye candy on another street, he quickly abandoned his friends and, with the movement of a darting snake, descended upon these waters.  

Upon discovering that the water was too shallow for a luxurious spa and bath and that it barely covered his long, segmented belly, he burrowed into the earth with his large, unclipped dragon nails and scaly dragon toes to deepen it.  He worked long and hard, knowing that the ultimate reward was a relaxing cold bath under beautiful starry skies.  However, the earth was hard and unforgiving, and his progress was slow.

To this day, this determined dragon continues to dig in these waters, ignoring the calls of his heavenly dragon friends who have now adorned themselves with shiny accessories from Prada and Gucci, made of snake skin.  Parts of his body protrude out of the surface of the water, appearing to be ranges of hilly islands, so the mortals call this body of water Ha Long (Descending Dragon) Bay.

Our trio arrived in Ha Long Bay today after a nearly four-hour long shuttle ride from Hanoi to discover a sea of tourists ready to embark on the same journey - exploring this UNESCO world Heritage site with about 2,000 islets of limestone.  There also seemed to be close to 2,000 boats ready to transport all the mortals who eagerly arrived to witness the majesty of our dragon friend.  Everyone has seen horrifying pictures of traffic jams in Los Angeles, but this marine traffic is something else, as herd after of people hopped onto boats, which then shoved their way to get a head start on the journey.  Boarding required jumping onto several boats to reach yours, as there was not sufficient space for all boats to dock.  And while moving away from land, the boats bumped into each other before freeing themselves into the Bay.

To our surprise, our boat carried more crew members than passengers, six and three respectively.  Looking around, we saw that other boats carried anywhere from five to twenty people.  Something tells me this business isn't modeled after efficiency.  Nevertheless, it was relaxing to have the boat all to ourselves, as we enjoyed a six-course lunch of fresh seafood and an even better feast of natural beauty.

A beauty of heavenly dragon scale.

the duck island